Jazz news

Saxophonist and composer Greg Osby will be artist-in-residence at the CU-Boulder College of Music Thompson Jazz Studies Program Oct. 29-31. The residency will feature a public performance with students at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 30 in Grusin Music Hall.

They come from diverse backgrounds and have worked all over the world, from Santa Fe to Salzburg, New York to northern Iowa. But all four new full-time faculty members at the College of Music agree: Boulder is hard to beat.

D.B. Cooper. Amelia Earhart. Jimmy Hoffa. All prominent Americans whose unexplained disappearances have fascinated and confounded armchair historians and professionals alike—and created fertile ground for all manner of wild explanations and conspiracy theories.

Paul McKee received a BME from the University of Northern Iowa and an MM in composition from the University of Texas at Austin. In 1984 he joined Woody Herman’s Thundering Herd and appeared on several Grammy-nominated recordings. Over the years McKee has served on the jazz faculty at schools including DePaul University, Youngstown State University, Northern Illinois University, the University of Missouri at Kansas City and Florida State University.

Jeannie and Jack Thompson have made an unprecedented commitment to the Jazz Studies program at the University of Colorado Boulder — building $1.6 million in combined gifts to trigger a new $2 million program endowment. To honor and recognize this transformational gift, the program will be renamed the Thompson Jazz Studies Program, as announced at yesterday’s annual Spring Swing big band concert. It is CU-Boulder’s first named program.

Director of Jazz Studies John Davis gives a behind-the-scenes look at preparing for Spring Swing this Sunday, February 24 at 2 p.m. in Macky Auditorium.

Renowned jazz composer Maria Schneider visited CU-Boulder last year for a week-long residency. In between rehearsals and clinics, she found time to record these helpful videos for prospective music students. Thanks to MajoringinMusic.com for sharing these insightful clips:

Assistant Professor of Jazz Studies John Gunther‘s Safari Trio performs Gunther’s composition Hermeto Type Tune

Check out this YouTube video with CU Jazz Studies director John Davis! Jazz Ensemble I will be performing with Nnenna Freelon on her Artist Series appearance Saturday, September 25. For more information about this concert, visit www.cupresents.org .